Chapter 15: The Cafeteria Challenge

After the flag-raising ceremony dispersed, Chen Erpao became a celebrity at Lingnan University. In particular, he left such a deep impression on all the students that whenever they saw him afterward, they would grin and call out, “Brother Erpao.”

The morning passed quickly in idle boredom, and before he knew it, it was lunchtime.

Chen Erpao and Wang Xing headed to the main cafeteria, which was already crowded with students.

“Brother Erpao, you were so cool today!” Suddenly, a striking woman with a face full of freckles approached him, smiling broadly so that her freckles gathered together.

“Thank you,” Chen Erpao replied politely, intending to leave quickly, but to his surprise, the woman spoke again.

“Brother Erpao, my name is Liu Cuihua. Could you give me your phone number?” Liu Cuihua looked at him shyly after she spoke.

Wang Xing had been watching all of this from the side, grinning from ear to ear. And as if one Cuihua wasn’t enough, a few more girls gathered around, asking questions, though at least these ones were a bit easier on the eyes.

“Sorry, I lost my phone yesterday. I’ll buy a new one after work tonight and get a new SIM card. Once everything’s set up, I’ll let you know, okay?” Chen Erpao glanced helplessly at Wang Xing, coming up with an excuse.

The girls chatted a bit more before leaving, but as she walked away, Cuihua cast one last reluctant glance back at Chen Erpao. For the first time, he began to question his own charm—was he somehow irresistibly attractive to women like her? Was his allure really that deadly?

“Hey, Erpao, your girl is here,” Wang Xing nudged him suddenly.

Assuming it was just another group of bored female students, Chen Erpao replied offhandedly, “Knock it off, don’t ruin my appetite right before lunch.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he regretted them—there stood Wang Xuemei, glaring at him with a look of indignation. “Do I really kill your appetite that much?” she huffed.

“Of course not! You actually whet my appetite, but it’s not as if I can eat you for lunch, can I?” Chen Erpao replied, grinning sheepishly.

“Hmph, I’m not talking to you anymore,” Wang Xuemei said, turning her head away in annoyance.

Just as Chen Erpao was about to say something nice to coax her, Li Meili appeared behind him without his noticing.

“Erpao, Wang Xing! There you are. Come sit with us,” Li Meili said with a bright smile.

Naturally, Chen Erpao wouldn’t leave Wang Xuemei behind to join Li Meili, but before he could say anything, Wang Xing had already accepted the invitation with a wide grin. “Sure, let’s eat together.”

Chen Erpao shot Wang Xing a look of utter disdain. Since Wang Xing had already agreed, there was no way he could refuse and then sit with Wang Xuemei alone—that would definitely get people talking. With no good options, he had no choice but to go along.

“Director Li’s kind invitation is just what we were hoping for,” Chen Erpao said with a faint smile, glancing over to see Wang Xuemei watching him with a wounded expression.

He smiled awkwardly, walked over, and whispered to her, “It was my fault for saying the wrong thing earlier. To make it up to my beautiful neighbor, just tell me what you want for dinner tonight—I’ll treat you, even if it means spending all my savings. Deal?”

“Hehe, that’s more like it,” Wang Xuemei replied, her anger melting into a smile. “Remember, you’d better not go back on your word tonight. Or else… I’ll start calling you Pervert Bro, heh.”

“Oh my, what kind of logic is that?” Chen Erpao was left speechless.

Afterward, Chen Erpao got his meal and joined Li Meili’s table, where a burly man in his thirties was already seated. Whether he was simple-minded or not was hard to tell.

“Erpao, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Deng Hua, who teaches PE to the juniors. He was also my upperclassman here,” Li Meili said, pointing to the muscular man.

“Just call me Ah Hua,” Deng Hua replied. “Meili tells me you’re quite a talent, Erpao! And now you’re a campus celebrity. She’s always singing your praises.” Deng Hua’s words seemed friendly and full of compliments, but Chen Erpao could sense the jealousy in his tone and the subtle mockery beneath the praise. Being called a “talent” when you’re a security guard was more a joke than a compliment.

“Ah Hua, you’re teasing me. I’m just a lowly security guard, nothing special. Unlike you—a university teacher, a respected position even outside of campus. As for Meili’s praise, she’s just acknowledging my work,” Chen Erpao replied, deliberately flattering Deng Hua, who immediately looked pleased with himself. At the same time, Li Meili shot Deng Hua a displeased glance and then looked admiringly at Chen Erpao.

“I know what Erpao is capable of,” Li Meili said. “Being a security guard isn’t an identity, it’s just a job. If Erpao wished, I don’t think Lingnan University could contain his talent.” She couldn’t help but recall what she’d witnessed on the basketball court a few days earlier.

Li Meili’s words were clearly in support of Chen Erpao, which made Deng Hua bristle. In a slightly challenging tone, he said, “I’ve heard you’re skilled, Erpao. I used to practice taekwondo—made it to black belt. If you don’t mind, how about we spar a little in the university dojang after lunch?”

“Alright then! It would be rude to refuse,” Chen Erpao smiled, agreeing without the slightest hesitation. Li Meili didn’t try to dissuade them; evidently, what she’d seen days before had given her full confidence in Erpao’s abilities.

Wang Xing, sitting nearby, looked at Deng Hua with a mix of amusement and pity. He knew better than anyone what Chen Erpao was capable of. One black belt, two, even three or four would be no match for him. In reality, a black-belt taekwondo practitioner’s combat skills were usually inferior to those of a true field special forces soldier, let alone someone of Chen Erpao’s caliber.

After lunch, whether out of overconfidence or for some other reason, Deng Hua called out loudly in the cafeteria, “I, Deng Hua, and the campus celebrity Erpao are both martial arts enthusiasts. Today, we’re both itching for a friendly match. We’ll head to the university’s taekwondo gym now—anyone interested is welcome to come and watch!”

He finished with a smug grin at Chen Erpao, as if already anticipating the scene where he’d humiliate him in front of the assembled students.